On our second conference day Johan Lange will held a presentation about future workplace organisation.

Johan Lange is consultant and trainer in leadership and organisational development. Lange is the author of “The LUCK Concept”, in which he provides a solid base for present and future leaders. His task with customers is to enhance management skills, create strategies and clarity – and prepare customers for leading in a disruptive world.

1. Johan – you will be giving the closing keynote at the IOM SUMMIT 2014. What are the three keywords that we can assign to your talk?

POWER – A disruption and transition of power is starting to show from industry to smaller and individual units. The digital era is instrumental to this, both as a motor and enhancer.

PASSION – As the cognitive portion of work increases significantly – the mental part of our work has moved from a decent workplace via organizational culture into wellbeing. You will notice the use of the word ”passion” more frequently being one of the prerequisites for well performed work.

PRODUCTIVITY – Still – make no mistake! We will use those improved creative skills on an ever-global market. But if we’re smart: with without working harder and with less stress.

2. Is there the one and only future model of the digital enhanced organization? Or are there several models that companies could incorporate?

Again the words ”organism” and ”organisation” are close – and I believe that indicates we’ve seen only part of what ’s around the corner. Darwinistic models where not the strongest but the most adaptable will strive. Also – a great reminder is in the quote of Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA: ”Remember that most of what we’ll experience isn’t invented yet!”

3. So going digital means also becoming constantly adaptive for the organization?

Yes. Try shoehorning in ”NOT” in that sentence 😉 In the early days of my career, organisations were often stiff and changes cut deep, took time and… our customers were left alone!

4. In your book “The LUCK Concept” one area to accomplish true change management is Lean Leadership. What is the role of leadership in this game of going digital?

I believe great leadership will stay. The role, though, may take different shapes. When working with leaders and staff I often ask them to define a great leader. Answers always include trust, clear values, good listening – and someone trustworthy in difficult times. In times when new organizational and digital change is happening, these issues are more important than ever. In a distributed leadership model, an indication of cultural values and a compass to steer by is essential for delegated tasks, often in distributed offices. Transparency creates great openness wether we like it or not and an entire management team can really get in trouble over ONE mistake.

5. As the digital workplace is speeding up communications and actions: in which way should companies adapt their organization for better training, coaching and changing?

There is great value in being a present leader, leading by example and do that by means of video and graphics. There’s huge potential in harnessing and releasing the power of available technology. Press officials will need to spend more time on supporting and coaching all levels of managers and other staff media will interface with. Time will not be there to wait for your (often late, often too well polished messages) officials. The Employer branding will be part of this as well.

Hire well, train well, make work an ever-ongoing training. It’s been part of Lean and Agile for years. It’s our adoption that’s slow. Work is for real, and so is training. We will have less time to travel to made-up training. It needs to happen AT WORK.

And do at least combine all these hard-to-understand protocols with living video with the people we hired for the reasons we hired them. Let them also explain their first plan and prime step to get things going.

6. What is your stake on the following statement: Social technology implementation without cultural change won’t work, but cultural change without the support of social technology is not sustainable?

In order to cater for effective social tech implementation – cultural changes will most likely be needed, but on very different levels in terms of management, decision making and recruiting.

Second statement is often true as well: Cultural change is easy to underestimate and a transition of only one or two leaders may fall back, even further back in old tracks if social technology is not implemented.

7. What are your expectations for the IOM SUMMIT?

I’m thrilled for this access to business leaders in the area. The reasons are several to my telecoms and datacoms/starup experience I also have a background dating to the Siemens Corporation in both computers and Med Tech /Electro Chardio Graphic

Also, moving over borders the difference of tighter and loser hierarchies have on these transitions will be extremely interesting to update, as well as current moments on the market in recruitment.